Wheelchairs are used by people with a wide variety of disabilities. As a consequence, parts that are likely to be specialized to the patients needs, such as seats, backs, and footrests, are usually manufactured separately and adapted to be mounted to a more standardized frame. In addition, it is desirable to be able to easily remove these attachable parts during use of the wheelchair to facilitate storage of the chair or conversion of its use to another patient.
The thin lightweight tubing that forms the frames of wheelchairs should not have holes drilled or otherwise introduced into it which would compromise its strength. Hence, the best and normal method of attachment is to provide a clamping mechanism around the outside of the tubular frame members. Prior art attachment schemes do indeed generally clamp around the wheelchair frames. This approach, however, is complicated by the fact that chair frames are manufactured in a range of diameters from 0.75 to 1.25 inches. Since backs and seats are often supplied by independent manufacturers, the need arises for an attachment system that allows easy compatibility with a variety of different frames from different sources.
Prior art clamps use conventional yokes about the frames that are bolted together in a familiar way. They are bulky, heavy, and difficult to use. Special tools may even be required to effect attachment of the component to the frame. Thus, it is not possible to easily and quickly remove the attached parts. The present invention overcomes these disadvantages with a quick release bracket design that is light, strong, and adaptable to a variety of frame shapes and diameters.